Chapter 4: Selling Rice at the Gate of Qingyun City

“Chu Chen, are you looking for trouble? Say another word and I’ll make sure the casino comes to collect their debts tomorrow.”

When Ma San openly accused Chu Chen of having an affair with the village chief’s wife, he threatened him fiercely.

At that moment, Chu Chen’s second uncle grabbed him and started walking toward Qingyun City.

“Why bother talking to people like him? Haven’t you suffered enough because of him?” he muttered as they walked.

This second uncle was named Chu Dazhuang. He had served in the army in his youth but was sent back to Mashan Village after a leg injury.

Since returning, he had lived a simple life farming the land, enduring many hardships.

Chu Chen was dragged along like a little chick by Chu Dazhuang, and before long, they disappeared from the village entrance.

Mashan Village was more than twenty miles away from Qingyun City.

The two walked for nearly three hours before finally reaching the outskirts of Qingyun City.

Exhausted and already injured, Chu Chen collapsed onto the ground as soon as they reached the city gate.

“You should really work on your stamina. You’re panting like a little chick after such a short walk,” Chu Dazhuang scolded without giving him a moment to catch his breath, lifting him up and heading toward the gate.

There was already a long line at the gate, and Chu Chen looked at his uncle in confusion.

“Uncle, what’s this line for? Are they handing out basins or something?”

Before Chu Dazhuang could answer, a man in front chimed in, “Must be outsiders. You need to pay a fee to enter the city, didn’t you know?”

He glanced back at Chu Chen, who was dressed in tattered clothes.

Pay to enter the city? What kind of world is this?

The man then looked at Chu Dazhuang, who shook his head in ignorance.

Embarrassed, Chu Dazhuang addressed the people ahead, “Sorry, ma’am, we’re from the countryside and don’t know the rules. How much is the entrance fee?”

“Which village in the countryside?” the woman asked sharply.

That question caught Chu Chen off guard.

His uncle looked equally puzzled, thinking, Aren’t we from Mashan Village?

“Uh, just a remote little mountain village. Ma’am, you still haven’t told me how much the entrance fee is,” Chu Dazhuang said.

The woman arrogantly held up two fingers, “Two wen per person.”

Damn, that’s expensive! Hearing this, Chu Dazhuang lifted Chu Chen and stepped out of the crowd.

“Uncle, what are you doing? We’re almost there. Why are you stepping out now?” Chu Chen shouted.

“Do you have any money?” Chu Dazhuang asked.

“I don’t. Do you?” Chu Chen replied, puzzled.

“Your auntie has all the money. Where else would we get it?” Chu Dazhuang said.

Damn, after walking all this way, we can’t even get through the city gate. And this uncle of mine doesn’t even carry money when going out.

What a joke—who among farmers doesn’t carry a handful of copper coins?

Besides, you should have some money…

“Alright, let’s go back. We can’t get in today,” Chu Dazhuang said slowly, reaching out to grab Chu Chen again.

Chu Chen dodged his uncle’s grasp.

“Come on, we’ve been walking so long. There’s no way we’re turning back now,” he said, avoiding him. After all, he was here to sell goods; turning back wasn’t an option.

“What exactly do you want to go into the city for?” Chu Dazhuang asked, sitting down with a worried look.

He remembered that when he was young and came to Qingyun City, there was no such thing as an entrance fee.

Chu Chen looked at the bustling crowd at the gate and said, “Uncle, wait here for me. I’m just going to the restroom.”

Then he went toward a small grove nearby.

“You lazy bum, always needing to pee even when you don’t,” Chu Dazhuang muttered, sitting down by himself.

Finding a secluded spot, Chu Chen slipped into the marketplace.

“What should I sell?” he pondered for a long time before finally finding a small hemp sack containing about three jin of rice.

He then strolled back to Chu Dazhuang and sat beside him.

“Look here, look here! My uncle here is taking two liters of rice to marry a bride, but the bride ran off. Now this rice is on sale, cheap, cheap!” Chu Chen shouted, startling Chu Dazhuang, who was still thinking about how to get into the city.

“You brat, where did your auntie run off to? And where did you steal that rice from?” Chu Dazhuang asked.

“Hey, don’t ask…” Chu Chen trailed off.

His shout soon drew a small crowd, and they grabbed the sack to inspect it.

“Hey, young man, how much for this rice?” one person asked.

Crap, I have no idea about the prices.

Chu Chen glanced at Chu Dazhuang and whispered, “How much does rice usually sell for?”

Chu Dazhuang looked confused. “I’ve never bought any. Who can afford that stuff?”

“I see your rice is good quality. Market price is five wen per liter. You’ve got about two liters here. How about twelve wen?” a man in his thirties with a sly look said.

“Big brother, that’s generous. Sold!” Chu Chen shouted. Although he knew it was worth more, his sole purpose was just to get into the city.

This startled Chu Dazhuang. That brat doesn’t even haggle when selling stuff?

The man happily handed over twelve copper coins, grabbed the sack, and disappeared into the crowd.

Nearby, some people shook their heads, saying that quality rice like this could easily fetch twenty wen per liter.

“Really a fool who’s never seen the world,” one said.

“Yeah, and he told me he was from the countryside. Which village? Must be from deep in the mountains,” another added.

“Such a waste of good rice. If I’d known, I would have bought it earlier,” two women at the gate chatted.

Chu Chen paid them no mind and pulled his uncle toward the gate.

“Let’s go, Uncle. We’re going in!”

Chu Dazhuang looked at Chu Chen’s shabby clothes and the eight copper coins left in his hand with a mix of concern and disbelief. This boy really knows how to waste money.

After waiting in line for almost half an hour, they finally reached the gate again.

Chu Chen took out four copper coins and passed through smoothly.

The two city guards looked at this fool with contempt in their eyes.

Once inside, Chu Chen realized just how vast the gap between rich and poor truly was.

The city was bustling with life, the streets crowded with people dressed in splendid clothes.

The cobblestone streets were lined with all kinds of food stalls.

Tailor shops displayed garments of every style imaginable.

From the restaurants came tantalizing aromas of roasted meat that made Chu Dazhuang swallow hard.

“Uncle, we’ll eat at this place later,” Chu Chen said boastfully.

Chu Dazhuang looked at their mismatched clothes and the eight copper coins left in Chu Chen’s hand and thought, This kid’s got big ideas for someone so young.

At that moment, they stopped in front of a shop with a large sign that read “Pawnshop.”

“What are you doing here?” Chu Dazhuang asked, puzzled.

“You wait here. I’ll be out soon,” Chu Chen said, striding into the pawnshop.

“Beg somewhere else, don’t disrupt my business,” the pawnshop clerk said, waving him off as he saw the ragged young man.

“Are you sure you want to chase me away? Aren’t you afraid your boss will dock your pay or even fire you?” Chu Chen said, speaking in a strange dialect that caught the clerk’s attention.

“Oh? May I ask, young sir, what family heirloom are you here to pawn?” the clerk asked, intrigued.